The Heat Is On

/ Ann Coleman

I am nothing if not predictable.  Every winter I complain bitterly about the cold temperatures, icy sidewalks and super-dry air.  I resent having to wear extra layers of clothing to keep warm, and then add a heavy coat, gloves and hat when I’m going outside.  Especially if I’m going somewhere nice and all those extra layers actually have to coordinate.  I hate constantly having to apply lotion and lip balm to keep my skin from drying out and my lips from chapping.  I don’t like the bare trees and the colorless winter landscape.  Each and every year, I am officially sick of Winter the very second I pack away the last of my Christmas decorations.  All I want is for warmer temperatures to arrive.

And then Summer hits, with it’s oppressive heat, stifling humidity and zillions of blood-thirsty insects.  And I wonder just exactly why I was in such a hurry for this particular season to arrive.

Sure, Summer has a lot of good qualities.  The trees are green again, the flowers are blooming, home-grown fruits and vegetables are in abundance and few things are nicer than jumping into a sparkling pool on a hot afternoon.  But like all seasons, summer has its challenges.

fullsizeoutput_495fThe lawn that looked so wonderful during our annual two weeks of Spring is now riddled with weeds and sporting a ton of brown spots from where our dog uses it as her bathroom.  I’d rather not use harsh chemicals, so every year I spend hours pulling up the “creeping charlie” that spreads so fast it really ought to be named “sprinting charlie.”  But no matter how many mounds of weeds I pull, I can never get rid of it.  And no matter how many times my husband puts down new sod to replace the dead spots, it’s just a matter of time before my dog and her killer urine turn the grass brown again.

While I do like the simplicity of Summer clothes, my vision of walking out of my house without a care in the world isn’t particularly accurate.  Depending on where I’m going, I still have some additions to make.  If I’m heading out to my volunteer job walking shelter dogs, I have to make sure that I’m wearing plenty of sunscreen.  And extra deodorant, since I’ll be sweating buckets before my shift is half over.  If I’m going to do yard work, I need to add insect repellent as well, because apparently our yard is a popular destination in the mosquito world.  Thousands come every year, bringing their friends and families with them.

And if I’m going to a restaurant, a medical office, church, or any kind of indoor store, I need to make sure I take a long a jacket or sweater.  Because the people who control the thermostats in those places firmly believe that the hotter it is outside, the colder it must be inside.  Which means that if the heat index is nearing 100 degrees, the optimum temperature inside must be somewhere around 48 degrees.  I can only assume they have unlimited budgets when it comes to paying their utility bills.

DSC00116Still, all things come to an end, and this Summer will be no exception.  Autumn will eventually arrive, followed by Winter and all that it has to offer.  Beautiful snowfalls, cozy sweaters, tasty mugs of hot chocolate, and absolutely no mosquitoes.  I can hardly wait…..

77 thoughts on “The Heat Is On”

  4. Hah! the grass is always greener. I do like spring and fall the best. I’ve been amused recently as so many of us in the northern hemisphere are too hot while the southern hemisphere folks are complaining about the cold and the dark. We are a fickle lot, aren’t we?

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  7. I’ve been thinking the same – though I prefer autumn (Fall) to winter as I can never stay warm in winter. But this summer – oh boy, it’s too hot for me! Oh and you also have that thing with the aircon on too high so you freeze?

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    • Yes, we seem to have gone from one extreme to the other this year! And yes, so many places keep their air conditioning on so high that it is freezing. And then we we have to go back outside, it feels even hotter. I think the AC should be kept just high enough to give a break from the heat, and that’s all. Thanks for the comment, Val!

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  12. I am lucky that I live where the temps aren’t too crazy different winter vs. summer but I do the same thing. Fortunately, while my hometown is experiencing 100+ degree temps (very unusual for this time of year), I am traveling. Whew… planned that right!

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    • You’re so right, the weather usually give us something to complain about! But yes, next time I’m whining about the heat, I’ll ask myself, “Would you rather be outside in wind chills below zero?” And the answer will be “NO!” Ha!

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  19. All I can say is–I live in Florida (unfortunately) and have never adjusted to the heat and lack of seasons. I was born in Wisconsin, lived in Canada–and always loved the winter. I’ve been here for over 45 years (as to why is a different conversation all together) and miss what I don’t have. So, every year we travel to New England when it’s cold and when I can hopefully see snow. There’s my thought on it.

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    • I feel for you! As much as I enjoy my trips to Florida in the middle of winter…a nice break from the snow cold…I really wouldn’t want to live where we didn’t have four distinct seasons. My only true complaint about winter is it lasts too long for my taste. I’m glad you’re able to visit New England every year and experience the cold weather you love!

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  20. The good thing about a hot humid bug-infested summer is that it makes you grateful for fall. The worst thing imaginable is the advent of jacket weather after a cool summer. You feel as if you had been robbed.

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    • You’re right! We had a cool summer a few years ago (a few hot days, but not many) and that was the first and only year I wasn’t ready when Fall came around. I did feel cheated!

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  22. To me winter has its charm, when the grey landscape receives a clean white blanket announcing the festive season and the first days of summer after a soggy spring are also most welcome. But I agree with you, when the weather turns to the extreme too cold or too hot, then we appreciate most the seasons in between. Best wishes for cooler weather, Ann!

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    • Thanks, Peter! I do love the beauty of a snowfall, and you’re right, there is a stark beauty in the winter landscape. It’s just when it stays too cold for too long that I get truly impatient. And that’s also the way i feel when it gets too hot for too long in the summer! Yet if I lived in a land with eternal spring, I bed I’d get tired of that too…..

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  23. Totally get this post and giggled merrily all the while! 😁 At least your spring is two weeks long, we seem to jump from winter right to summer every year!!

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  25. So, I’m not the only one who carries a sweater with me in the hot summer whenever I venture to an inside event!!! I absolutely froze yesterday in the movie theatre, could not wait to get outside and embrace the 90’s lol, but only till I thawed, then enjoyed my car AC till home. 🙂

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    • You are not! I can’t imagine that going from the two extremes (melting from the heat to freezing from the cold) is good for our bodies, and yet that seems to be what we deal with every summer. You would think there would be some sort of happy medium!

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  28. Haha……. Only four months ago we (British) moaned about the snow….. We aren’t used to it. Now we are moaning about this heat….. We aren’t used to it. Rain…. Rain we’re used to and we definitely moan about that!

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  31. Yes indeed I can emphasise all too well. I’m in that winter state yearning for the warmth but you’re right, every season has its challenges.
    It reminds me of the Passenger song “you only miss the sun when it starts to snow, only hate the road when you’re missing home …” Stay cool my friend as I try and stay warm. 🙂

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    • I know! Whenever I read your posts, I remind myself to be grateful for the warmth, even the heat. Because honestly, if I had to choose one over the other, I think I deal with excessive heat better than excessive cold. But all too often, I simply long for what I’m don’t have, which is rather silly. I hope you do stay warm, and I also hope that you get an early Spring!!

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  32. Ann, a great post and capturing our battles with the seasons! Every winter I recall these heavenly summer days (just forgetting the pesky flies, the humidity, lack of sleep due to heat) … then in the summer I recall the cosy nights in during winter, the two days of snow (handily failing to recall the months of rain, bitter winds, early darkness)! Such are humans … always making the best of the past …hope you enjoy the summer!

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    • Thanks, Annika! And I think you are right, we tend to remember only the good parts of whatever we don’t happen to have at the moment. I guess that’s why we sometimes yearn for the “good old days” which weren’t always all that good!

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  33. Our winters are not as harsh and it is at that time that the things around here are green. Yeah, some trees might not have leaves, but everything else is so green it is barely noticeable. I loathe summer. As I sit doing nothing and still am wet with sweat I cannot not think of one thing I like about it. I am just passing the time waiting for the sweet relief of winter!

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      • Before this heat came on I was cleaning the house and I stopped mid-vacuuming and realized that I wasn’t sweating. I mean not even a little and I just took a moment to enjoy it because I knew that the summer heat was coming. I don’t think we are even at our hottest yet and now just sitting and I am sweating. UGH!

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  34. I learned two years that apple cider vinegar is a good natural weed killer. I tried it. It does work, but….you have to apply it more frequently than chemical weed spray. As well, I just found out a few days ago that salt water is also a good weed killer. Give those a try on the “sprinting Charlie”. : ) As well, supposedly Avon’s Skin So Soft lotion (just the regular one without anything added to it) naturally repels mosquitoes, and other insects. I have not text two of the three things I’ve mentioned but I know others who have. Maybe they will assist you, too.

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